56-57 Corvette vs. Pass car rear end

[Edward M.]

I know there is a difference betweeen Corvette and passenger car rear end housings. I seem to recall it is the pinion angle.

I remember back in the day guys were putting pass car axle housings in solid axle Corvettes (don't ask me why) but I don't recall what mods needed to be done.

OK, here is the question..what modifications need to be done to put a 56-57 passenger car axle housing in a 56-57 Corvette?

Why you say...I am looking at a 56 project car (a rough project car) and I am thinking about a solid axle rear end with a 4 link and coil overs. Yes, I could do a Ford 9 inch, but then I would have a Ford rear end in my Corvette

[Jim L.]

Re: 56-57 Corvette vs. Pass car rear end

One difference is that the spring perches are spaced differently. To adapt a passenger car housing to a Corvette, the perches have to be removed and rewelded in new positions.

Jim

[Tom P.]

Re: 56-57 Corvette vs. Pass car rear end

In addition to the position of the spring pads that are welded to the underside of the housing, here is a BIG difference. The axle bearing flange (has 4 bolt holes for the bearing retainer/brake backing plate) that is welded on each end of the housing is rotated (in relation to the housing) to a different position for the pass car than it is for the Vette.
There is a difference between 55-56 pass car/56 Vette housings and 57 pass car/57 Vette housings. The difference is the size of the hole where the axle bearing fits. The 55-6 bearing has a smaller OD than the 57-62 bearing. Also, the 57 bearing is THINNER than the 58-62 bearing.

This is a 60 housing. Notice the 2 lower holes of the bearing flange are NOT parallel to the spring pad.


This is the end of a 57 pass car housing. The lower 2 holes of the bearing flange are parallel to the spring pad.


These are 55-6/57/58-62 axle bearings.




ANY 56-62 Vette axle housing will PHYSICALLY bolt onto ANY 56-62 leaf springs and everything will be geometrically at the same angles. The differences in the housings is size and depth of the bearing holes and the brackets welded onto the 59-62 housings for the radius rods (some of us refer to them as factory traction bars). Yes, there were posi vs non-posi housings, but those were INTERNAL differences which have no effect on the attachment of the housing to the springs.